The Jaguars’ rush defense is 29th in the NFL but a middle-of-the-road 17th in yards allowed per carry, meaning they give up yards, just not in big chunks. Only five teams have allowed fewer rushes of 20-plus yards than the Jaguars. Buffalo has 13 rushes of 20-plus yards, which ranks second in the NFL and C.J. Spiller (Union County High) is averaging a whopping 6.7 yards per attempt, also second in the league. “He’s a big-play threat every time he touches the ball,” Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen said.

SECOND DOWN

Fixing the pass protection

The Jaguars’ pass protection performance was historically bad last week against Tennessee. The Jaguars allowed a previously ordinary Titans defense to sack Chad Henne seven times. Only two times in team history has a Jaguars opponent had more sacks. Buffalo has Mario Williams (three sacks last week) anchoring its pass rush. The Jaguars’ offensive line should remember they are one hit away from playing in front of a quarterback (Jordan Palmer) who wasn’t on an NFL team until 10 days ago.

THIRD DOWN

Evaluating Jason Babin

If the last six games is a chance for Henne to win the 2013 starting position, the last five games gives the Jaguars an opportunity to see if newly acquired pass rusher Jason Babin can help them in the long-term. Claimed off waivers from Philadelphia early in the week, Babin instantly became the Jaguars’ best pass rusher. Only DeMarcus Ware and Jared Allen have more sacks since the start of 2010 than Babin’s 35 and his task is jump-starting a Jaguars pass rush that is tied with Oakland for a league-low 13 sacks.

FOURTH DOWN

Ball control

Only twice in 11 games have the Jaguars had the time of possession advantage — Week 1 at Minnesota and Week 7 at Green Bay. They lost both games. The Jaguars are last in the NFL in average possession (26 minutes, 55 seconds) and the offense has run 129 fewer plays than the opponent. Sunday could be an opening. The Jaguars’ 7-for-14 third-down performance against Tennessee was their best since the Vikings game. And Buffalo’s defense struggles on third down, allowing offenses to convert 46 percent of the time.